Matt Ambrose: Coincidentally, I wrote an article on the bda blog week last week questioning whether social media lived up to the hype:http://www.thinkbda.com/2009/05/22/conversational-marketing-should-you-believe-the-hype/Ironically it’s had more Tweets than any other post.

Matt: This article and a few others are part of an upcoming post, which I’ll probably finish about the time Twitter’s been replaced by something newer.

Michael: The real backlash will occur when the customers (and prospects) turn off to the brand completely as a result of the so-called engagement.

Michael: Visit the Nike+ site, and report any turn-off you see there. Customers will engage with a company or they won’t; unlike a Super Bowl ad buy, it’s not exactly something that can be forced, but it does happen.

Jeff, Rachel & CJ:

I agree: some aspects of the Knowledge Networks report felt a little gamy, or perhaps just dated.

That said, I think too many social media proponents are relying on hypish language promoting impossible-to-measure brand benefits, especially in the context of small businesses, whose marketing capacity is very limited.

At some point, social media channels will have to show measurable returns.

This becomes even more true once you realize those succeeding in social media channels (like Twitter) are investing a fair amount of time in it.

In terms of a backlash, well, everybody knows it’s coming. Attacking the medium is a little silly – and nobody at Thanksgiving likes the cranky uncle who seems to hate everyone and everything – but asking the tough questions about ROI and ROTI qualifies as simply due diligence.

And there’s little denying the echo chamber effect currently hyping social media (providing ample fodder for the backlash).

I’ve read social media “experts” counseling small businesses to invest an hour every day checking their social media status; an unreal expectation for a small businessperson already trying to run a non online business (they still exist).

In my consultations with clients and (now) students, I’m looking for ways to integrate social media into their existing programs in ways that actually lighten the load.

For several, we’re in the process of setting up a nice little “content loop” that leverages the same or similar content (they call it “work”) across social networks, a blog, e-newsletter and even offline channels.

When you view social media channels in that context, they become just another media channel that may or may not justify the sizable time investment they seem to require.

http://www.thinkbda.com/2009/05/22/conversational-marketing-should-you-believe-the-hype/

Ironically it’s had more Tweets than any other post.

It is not about advertising on social sites or giving consumers information to buy. Social media is much more about building your brand image, up to the second PR and customer service than it is about direct sales.

Other marketing methods can directly get new customers and business, but social media helps you retain these customers and give them an avenue to become brand enthusiasts. It is not a substitute to traditional marketing, but a new tool in the arsenal.

I think some businesses have done a very good job connecting to consumers on a personal level. They don’t manipulate tools such as Twitter to broadcast their website all day, but instead use them to talk directly with people. The same people that will then turn around and talk about their experiences with others. Want social media to work for your business? Then quit treating it like a free ad platform.

Actually, I think that is already happening.